I think it's clear that the days of a tourbillon as a point of pride are over. Two of my colleages, Stephen and Cara, both decried this truly superfluous, showy variation on a regulating organ within the last seven days – tourbillons are lame. But deep down inside many of us, I would venture to bet there is at least some non-zero percentage of our being that would love to wear a tourbillon. Or to at least own one. Because, here's the thing, tourbillons are lame, except for when they're not. And it doesn't happen often, but there are some tourbillon wristwatches out there that are unbelievably cool and truly appreciated by those in the know. Here are seven of the best tourbillons for those men and women who hate tourbillons.

The A. Lange & Söhne Pour Le Mérite Tourbillon

As I've said recently, there is something special about Lange's watches. This is even more true when you're talking about the first batch of wristwatches that came out of the Saxon manufacture in 1994. The Lange 1 is the obvious winner here, but the halo piece was the Pour Le Mérite tourbillon. It's a big, bold tourbillon wristwatch from a period when tourbillons were simply not yet a thing, and tied to it are some of the most important names in contemporary horology. Walter Lange owns one and wears it only on special occasions. The man who effectively made Lange what is is, Günter Blumlein, was buried in his platinum Pour Le Mérite. To many, the Pour Le Mérite, with its fusée-and-chain transmission system and oversized aperture, is one of the finest examples of watchmaking to come out of the grey period called the 1990s. And though Lange was unable to assemble these watches themselves (that was left to Renaud & Papi – bet most of you didn't know that!), there might not be a more special Lange wristwatch than the Pour Le Mérite Tourbillon. Read more here.

Any F.P. Journe Tourbillon

In much the same way as the PLM transcends the social stigma of wearing a tourbillon amongst Lange collectors, most Journe tourbillons do this as well. The idea that a single man could create what has become a truly influential brand around a handmade tourbillon wristwatch has endeared this timepiece to many. The original 38mm platinum case, thin by even today's standards, and the small eccentricities of the remontoire-equipped watch (shiny dials, brass movements, and the like) have made the Journe toubillon a collectible among watch aficionados. Though there is a large, exposed aperture on the dial like with the Lange, real watch guys know this is still a cool tourbillon to own. And this doesn't even include the later watches like the T10 and T30, with hidden tourbillons. Those? Also very cool. Read more on these here.

(P.S. If you like Journe tourbillons, boy do we have a treat for you coming in a few weeks!)

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The Greubel Forsey Tourbillon 24 Seconds Vision

Greubel Forsey deserves your respect. They have never played the brand extension, down market game (until 2016, if you can consider this $150,000 steel time-only watch downmarket). Greubel has stuck to their guns and produced absolutely insane, absurdly sized, and scarily priced tourbillons since inception – and they've been able to sell them. Maybe they didn't sell to you or me, but their watches are objectively of exceptionally high quality, and anyone who knows the first thing about high-end watchmaking will tell you that, regardless of whether or not they like Greubel Forsey's aesthetics, or even the very idea of a tourbillon in the first place. The Tourbillon 24 Seconds Vision is a watch that got some people very excited about the brand. It is a smaller, round, understated-for-Greubel-Forsey kind of watch that still features remarkably high levels of of handwork. If you're "that guy" and you want to own one of the finest watches on the planet, this is a great one to consider. Read more on it here.

Vacheron Constantin 14 Day Toubillon

Take one of the most storied, traditional Swiss watchmakers in the world, ask them to make one of the most impressive tourbillon wristwatches of today, and you'll get the Vacheron Constantin 14-Day tourbillon. It was first shown in 2011 in gold, and later updated in platinum. This simple, elegant watch from one of the most elegant manufacturers in the world has a large, slightly non-concentric dial (notice how the chapter ring seems to lift from the bezel and the bottom of the dial?) and a power reserve of 336 hours – or 14 freaking days. That, my friends, is seriously impressive, especially considering the watch is just 42mm in diameter. Also, look at that movement. Read more about it here.

Ulysse Nardin Anchor Tourbillon

Bear with me on this one – this watch is not yet super collectible and it's still in production. But it really might be some day, and here's why. To quote my colleague Nick: "The Anchor Tourbillon features a pallet fork with no pivots. Yes, you read that right – the pallet fork is suspended in between the escape wheel and balance roller with ultra-thin silicon blades. These blades buckle back and forth, allowing the pallet fork to perform its locking, unlocking, and impulsing actions without a pivot. Not having a pivot means fewer parts and no need for lubrication."

This is a major step forward for watch escapements, and this watch (which has gone fairly unnoticed by the masses of watch collectors) may just be a game changer. Is this a cool watch? Absolutely. Read Nick's awesome story about this watch here.

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Laurent Ferrier Galet Tourbillon

There is something so appealing about hidden tourbillons. It's the horological equivalent of speaking softly but carrying a large stick, and nobody does it better today than Laurent Ferrier. These calibers are designed to have the most precise chronometry in mind but with the emotional appearance often forgone in other precision-obsessed tourbillons. Couple that with old-school Patek sensibilities and a multitude of dial and case options, and you have, quite frankly, the wristwatch that we always wished Patek would make, but didn't. Read more on Laurent Ferrier here.

Patek Philippe 10-Day Tourbillon

So this is an easy transition from the Laurent Ferrier. As of this moment, Patek Philippe does not make a time-only tourbillon. They make them with minute repeaters and perpetual calendars and split seconds chronographs, but not on their own. And this, to me, is a crying shame. As I said above, there are people I know that would genuinely love to own a high-end toubillon, but they don't want to look at (or pay for) the mixed salad of mega-complication watches. The 5101 as seen here, referred to as the 10 day tourbillon, was launched all the way back in 2003 and is one of the most special tourbillons in the world. (It's essentially identical technically, by the way, to the 5100, launched by Patek in 2000, only with the addition of the tourbillon). The caliber is quite small, yet remarkably efficient, tying together two barrels to provide for ten days of power reserve. Then you have finishing and architecture that is extremely reminiscent of Patek's record setting tourbillons of the 1950s and 60s. The entire watch, front to back, is about performance, elegance, and discretion. Look at that stepped case! What's more, our editor-in-chief Mr. Jack Forster happens to love this watch – and if that doesn't mean something to you, well, it should. Read the initial press release of the 5101 right here.

We all know that Breguet (the man, not the Swatch-group owned brand with the same name) invented the tourbillon. But did you know that the first wristwatch tourbillon caliber came from Omega? It did, and it was all the way back in 1947. You can read about the famed caliber 30I, of which twelve exist, here. One of these, along with the incredibly uncommon vintage Patek wristwatch calibers are pretty much the end-game in tourbillon collecting. Of course, any early high-end tourbillon pocketwatch is important, especially those from Vacheron and Patek, with the obvious holy grail being a tourbillon that A-L Breguet himself worked on.